


Gestures vs. Words

by Steph_R94



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Minor Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27607934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steph_R94/pseuds/Steph_R94
Summary: For weeks, Marinette had been bringing him gifts whenever she would come to practice. Pastries from the bakery, ‘prototypes’ of designs that he tried not to think too much into because they all looked she had him in mind, and touches. All of the fucking touches that he had passed off as accidental. Brushes of her hand against his whenever he was teaching her guitar, bumps of her knee against his whenever they sat down, the lean of her body against his whenever she was trying to see over his shoulder..And he had dismissed all of it because he thought her heart was still playing for Adrien.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 8
Kudos: 116





	Gestures vs. Words

Luka had begun to notice a pattern in all of the designs Marinette did for Kitty Section and herself. There was a small thread of teal hugging her white signature and looping around the final “e”. It was there no matter the piece of clothing or accessory. He compared it to the old outfit Marinette had made for Juleka; the signature then had simply been white. So, what had changed? He asked Juleka, but she had only shrugged and said she hadn’t noticed any difference in Marinette’s designs.

It felt important. He had always intended to ask her whenever they had a quiet moment alone, but there were always more pressing matters than her signature that needed to be addressed. Now, they were surrounded by the band; his fingers strummed the melody of Rose’s favorite song on almost autopilot as he studied Marinette.

She was bent over her sketchbook, likely working another piece for one person or another. The leg not balancing the sketchbook was bouncing as her foot tapped to the music. He thought again to her signature with the teal snake coiling through it.

Was it just a color she had stumbled upon that she really liked?

Why was he looking for some hidden meaning when it could be as simple as that?

It was the blush on her cheeks as she adverted her eyes from his; it was the maddeningly knowing look in his sister’s eyes; it was her girlfriend’s almost visible excitement; it was the irritatingly amused look Adrien kept giving him each time he spotted him looking at her this session; and it was the passive judgement on Kagami’s face as she tapped her nails against the side of her drink: all of these things made him think there was something more he was supposed to be seeing.

“I think actions are a little too subtle,” Rose whined once the song was finished. Juleka chuckled.

“It makes it more meaningful, Rose,” Juleka argued.

“It certainly makes it more amusing,” Mylene said softly with a small giggle. 

“Uh, what?” Ivan asked sounding as thoroughly confused as Luka felt.

“They’ve been arguing over the weight of love gestures and the weight of words for weeks now,” Adrien commented as Kagami slipped up beside him with a drink for him. He smiled and took it from her; he let his hands rest for a second longer on hers in a loving caress. Luka looked toward Marinette. Her attention was on putting aside her sketchbook and not on Adrien. He suppressed a sigh of relief.

“I agree with Juleka,” Kagami spoke from where she leaned against Adrien’s shoulder. “Gestures of love are more meaningful than speaking the words. ‘I love you’ can be thrown around to the point where it loses value, but gestures are always valuable.”

“Yeah, but…not for the first one,” Rose argued.

“In that case, gestures are confidence builders,” Marinette chimed in. “It can be intimidating to tell someone how you feel for the first time; and gestures are ways of easing in to that.”

“I feel like I’ve missed something,” Luka murmured. “Who are we confessing to?” He asked Rose. Last he knew, Rose was head over heels in love with Juleka; he didn’t think Juleka would have left any room for debate on her feelings for the pixie like girl. Ivan and Mylene were already together; Adrien and Kagami as well. The only two people there that were single was himself and Marinette. And last he knew, Marinette was…

Oh.

So, Marinette had been trying to confess to Adrien through gestures. Was this a Girl Squad Operation that was bleeding into band practice? Were Juleka and Rose trying to convince Marinette to bite the bullet and confess?

“Ugh. And you call yourself my brother.” Juleka grumbled. “Have you not been paying attention at all?”

“Well, Marinette, what gestures would you use?” Adrien asked. Luka held off from responding to his sister’s scornful snort in favor of letting Marinette answer the question. This was the moment she had been waiting for after all.

“I’d paint his favorite color on my nails and sew a secondary signature that reminded me of him around every signature that marks my clothing and accessories so that he’d always be with me even when he wasn’t.” When she finished, she wiggled her nails at the band. “And steal his hoodies.” She laughed as an afterthought.

Luka’s brain slowed as his eyes locked on teal fingernails the same shade as his dyed hair. Steal his hoodies…She hadn’t returned the hoodie he had loaned her a week ago. He had never asked for it back. But…Teal fingernails, teal snake hugging her signature on all of her designs, stolen hoodies.

It was him, Luka.

For weeks, Marinette had been bringing him gifts whenever she would come to practice. Pastries from the bakery, ‘prototypes’ of designs that he tried not to think too much into because they all looked she had him in mind, and touches. All of the fucking touches that he had passed off as accidental. Brushes of her hand against his whenever he was teaching her guitar, bumps of her knee against his whenever they sat down, the lean of her body against his whenever she was trying to see over his shoulder.. 

And he had dismissed all of it because he thought her heart was still playing for Adrien.

“I think…” He was aware of how breathless his voice sounded. “I think I agree with Rose on this one. If the person you are confessing to with gestures is incredibly daft, they may misunderstand and think you are trying to confess to someone else.” He was dimly aware of everyone else leaving the boat. Mylene dragging a still confused Ivan below deck while Kagami and Adrien moved toward the gangplank; Juleka and Rose disappearing behind Ivan down into the deck. The only thing he was fully conscious of was the blue of Marinette’s eyes and the pounding of his own heart as he moved closer to her. “I need to hear it.” He told her as he knelt down in front of her. She smiled.

“I love you.” Marinette said without hesitation and with such clarity that it robbed him further of breath. She leaned down slightly and cupped his face with her hands. “I love you.” She repeated with reverence as her thumbs swept over his cheekbones.

He was dimly aware of bracing one hand against the bench as he leaned up and touched her lips with his. He kissed her gently and as reverently as she had just confessed to him. His hand, not bracing himself, slid up to her cheek. When they parted, he didn’t sink back down despite the pain in his knees.

“I love you,” he replied, knowing she likely needed to hear it too. Sometime during the kiss, her hands had fallen to his shoulders. She used her grip on his shoulders to convince him to stand up and join her on the bench. “So, gestures, huh?” Luka asked once he was seating. Marinette blushed.

“Well, neither of us are very good with words,” she murmured. “I thought you would eventually figure it out.”

“Sorry.” He laughed. His voice dropped lower so that the people he could just see listening below deck couldn’t hear. “I just…never really thought you would move on from you-know-who.”

“I told you I wanted to try.”

“Thank you for choosing me.” Luka whispered as he leaned his head against hers.

“Thank you for waiting,” Marinette returned as she pressed a kiss onto his cheek. He laid his hand against hers and she linked their fingers together. The teal of her nails facing him once more. 

"You are worth the wait." 


End file.
